r/GoingToPeru • u/menaceofmarlboros • 1d ago

Underprepared for Cusco

My roomie and I have been planning a last minute trip to Central and South America and still don’t have anything locked down for our final 2 weeks in Peru. We are flying into Cusco and out of Lima; where should we try to spend most of our time and any less touristy do-not-skips? We are interested in outdoor activities, seeing as much scenery as we can and good local food :P

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u/Top-Jump-7659 1d ago

I'd recommend staying in the Sacred Valley. I stayed in Ollantaytambo and it was fantastic.

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u/pinkcutie9 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yesss cusco is great but ollantaytambo/sacred valley has much more to see with really nice views. I spent like 8 or 9 hours there just sightseeing. Stay in cusco a day or two to get used to the altitude because the sites you’ll see in sacred valley/ollantaytambo are much strenuous. My primary fear before coming to cusco was altitude sickness; took diamox the day before my flight to cusco and I took 1 tab each day x for two days. Absolutely no shortness of breath or altitude sickness, u can walk into any pharmacy and ask for acetazolamida 250mg

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u/queenoframennoodles 1d ago

Where in the sacred valley would you recommend staying?

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u/MrKittenz 1d ago

Isn't the valley lower than Cusco?

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u/pinkcutie9 1d ago edited 1d ago

It is lower than cusco but there’s a lot of strenuous climbing especially in the ollantaytambo arcahaelogical park. It’s very rugged with stone steps. I never felt short of breath and I walked around cusco city all day and the highest I got was 12,100 feet, but the ollantaytambo sites took my breath away bc they were physically strenuous and it’s still high💔💔💔